Lindsey Pearlman was a working actress. At age 43, she had quite a few credits to her name including a recurring role on “General Hospital,” a memorable episode of “Empire” and a recurring role on “The Ms. Pat Show” which she seemed very proud of.
Back in August 2021, Pearlman posted on her website about “The Ms. Pat Show” asking everyone to subscribe to BET+ to watch it. She wrote, “If you don’t do yourself a favor and watch all ten episodes yourself…? You’re doing yourself a great disservice. It’s funny AS HELL, raw, honest, touching, and pulls no punches.”
Pearlman only made one more update to her website. On December 26, 2021, she posted a commercial that she was in explaining that her latest commercial was released on Christmas Day.
Less than two months later, on February 16, 2022, Pearlman disappeared. The police asked for help finding her explaining that she “failed to return home and has not been seen or heard from since.”
Hey everyone. My friend LINDSEY PEARLMAN is missing. The date on the flyer is incorrect. She hasn’t been seen since Tuesday, February 15, 9pm in Los Angeles, CA. Please share and contact the authorities if you have ANY info. THANK YOU 🙏🏼💔 #MissingPerson pic.twitter.com/UXfp5u27Wk
— Elaine Hendrix Ⓥ (@elaine4animals) February 18, 2022
On February 18, police found Pearlman’s body. She was dead inside a vehicle near the entrance to Runyon Canyon, a popular hiking trail in Hollywood, California. Determining the cause of death required an autopsy.
UPDATE: Thank you to everyone who shared Lindsey’s missing person report. I’m deeply saddened & stunned to share that she was found deceased. There’s no further info to share at this time. Pls send her friends & family love. 💔
— Elaine Hendrix Ⓥ (@elaine4animals) February 18, 2022
In a since deleted Instagram post, Pearlman’s husband, Vance Smith, wrote, “The police found Lindesey. She’s gone. I’m broken.” He added, “I will share more later but I wanted to [say] thank you to everyone for their love and efforts and ask you to respect the privacy of her family at this time.”
It has now been six months since Pearlman died, and we finally know the cause of death. Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner performed an autopsy and PEOPLE obtained a report which listed her cause of death as suicide. According to the report, “the presence of non-toxic levels of lorazepam, metoclopramide, and codeine” was found in her system.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).